Eisenhower Decision Matrix

Created by Sunneva Gaardlykke

Abstract

Prioritising work tasks as an individual or a team is crucial for ensuring success and avoiding stress. One popular method for doing this is the Eisenhower Decision Matrix. Former president of the USA, Dwight D. Eisenhower, once said: "What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important. These are the words behind the concept of the Eisenhower Decision Matrix. Later on, Stephen Covey made the method popular in relation to time and task management by including the method in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

The concept of the Eisenhower Decision Matrix is to prioritise tasks based on their urgency and importance, by categorising them into four quadrants: "Q1: Urgent and Important," "Q2: Important but Not Urgent," "Q3: Urgent but Not Important," and "Q4: Not Urgent nor Important." By analysing tasks in this manner, teams and individuals can concentrate their energy on the most important and urgent tasks while delegating or postponing the less important ones. In a normal workday this can be done very easily by simply numbering the tasks on your to-do list according to the quadrants in the matrix, and then starting by doing the tasks numbered 1, then delegating the tasks numbered 3 and planning/doing tasks numbered 2. As for the tasks which are numbered 4, they should be done at last or simply deleted.

The Eisenhower Decision Matrix is a useful tool for project managers and team members, as it provides a clear framework for determining task priority and making informed decisions about allocating time and resources.

Big Idea

Urgency vs. Importance

• Explaining the difference between urgency and importance.

The Eisenhower Decision Matrix

• The overall concept of the Eisenhower Decision Matrix.
• Explaining the four quadrants of the matrix:
  • Q1: Urgent and Important
  • Q2: Important but Not Urgent
  • Q3: Urgent but Not Important
  • Q4: Not Urgent nor Important

How the tasks in each quadrant affect a person

• Too much time spent in certain quadrants, can lead to short-term focus, crisis management, and feeling out of control and stressed.
• which tasks should you have your focus on?

Application

• How to use this matrix in your everyday life to prioritise tasks:
  • Q1: Urgent and Important -> Do it NOW
  • Q2: Important but Not Urgent -> Schedule the task
  • Q3: Urgent but Not Important -> Delegate the task
  • Q4: Not Urgent nor Important -> Delete
• Example

Limitations

• Discuss the illusion of urgency
• This matrix only considers two factors: urgency and importance.
• Compare with the Sung diagram

Annotated bibliography

Stephen R. Covey (2013). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change In this book, Covey explains how the Eisenhower Decision Matrix(EDM) can be used, and how it can affect people's effectiveness and accomplishments.

D.R Kennedy, A.L. Porter (2022). The Illusion of Urgency This article describes how the illusion of urgency can affect people's perception of urgency, and thereby also their prioritisation of tasks.

Hannah Bratterud et al. (2020). The Sung Diagram: Revitalizing the Eisenhower Matrix This paper addresses the limitation of the EDM and proposes an extension to the matrix, which provides a third factor in the decision matrix. Having these three factors should in some scenarios clarify some misleading suggestions that the EDM would otherwise make.